Torpedo lowering hook



Sept. 3, 194G. w. Y. BLEAKLEY ET AL TORPEDO LOWERING HOOK Filed July 14, 1939 ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 3, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,213,686 TortrEDo LOWERING HOOK Application July 14,1939, serial No. 284,530

Claims.

This invention relates to torpedo hooks and more particularly to a torpedo hook having improved means for controlling a closure member which, when in closed position, prevents release of a torpedo or bomb secured to the lowering cable by the hook.

In theroperation of oil wells it is frequently necessary to lower torpedoes containing a charge of high explosive or a time bomb into the well. I'he torpedo or bomb is secured to the end of a lowering cable by means of a torpedo hook. It is necessaryv that accidental release of the bomb or torpedo during lowering into the well be prel vented but, at the same time, the hook must be capable of releasing the bomb or torpedo when it reaches the point where it is to be exploded.

rVarious constructions have been proposed for locking or securing a torpedo to a torpedo hook and permitting the release of the torpedo from thehook when desired. In the present inventionrwe have provided improved means for this purpose; The hook is provided with a sliding, locking or closure member which will positively prevent premature release of the torpedo while itis being lowered into the well and which may be released by a series of jerks of the cable when the torpedo is at the bottom of the well.

Among the many advantages of our construction are its compactness, the absence of projections from its exterior which avoids snagging when lowered into a well and the arrangement of the moving parts so that they all move relatively freely in unobstructed openings. The latter feature isvparticularly advantageous in that the construction contains no pockets or corners which might receive and hold sand or dirt and thereby interfere with the operation of the dev1ce.

Another important feature of the present invention is the provision of a weighted head which causes relative movement between two parts of the apparatus when the torpedo is at the bottom of the well by slackening the cable and actuates the release of the mechanism of the locking member. I Heretofore similar devices have been provided with springs for the purpose of causing movement of one of the two movable parts in one direction to assure actuation of the releasing mechanism of the locking device.

In the accompanying drawing we have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this show- 1 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional View;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the hook;

Fig. 3 is a detailed view of a sliding stem formingr a portion of the hook in front elevation; and

Fig. 4 is a view showing the hook carrying an explosive shell in lowering position in a well.

The body portion of the hook comprises a pair of side plates I8. A hook member I I is mounted v5 between the lower ends of the side plates and the hook member is provided with a recess I2 to receive the bail I3 of a torpedo shell I4 when the torpedo shell is to be lowered in a well casing I5 as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing. A spacer 10 I6 is arranged between the upper ends of the side plates I0 and this spacer is provided with an axial opening I l. A stem I8` extends through this opening, the stem being provided with a shoulder I9 on the portion of the stem arranged 15 within the body which limits its upward movement with respect to the body portion of the hook. The upper end of the stem I 8 is mounted to freely swivel on ball bearings 20 carried in a head 2l.

As shown, the head is made in two sections, the 29 lower portion having an axial opening 22 for the reception of the upper end of the stem I 8. At its extreme upper end the stem is threaded as at 23 for the reception of a nut 24 which retains the stem in the head. The upper portion 25 of the 25 head is secured to the lower portion by screw threads and its upper end is provided with an ear having an opening 26 for the reception of a lowering cable 21.

The main portion of the stem which is arranged 30. within the body between the side plates I 0 is provided with a longitudinal slot 28. A pawl 29 is pivotally mounted in this slot and a spring 30 is secured to the stem within the slot as at 3l and has its free end in engagement with the 3,5. pawl normally tending to rotate it in a counterclockwise direction. Tooth 32 carried on the other end of the pivoted pawl is therefore normally thrust toward the front of the body of the hook by the spring 30.

The hook is provided with a longitudinal slot 33 which receives the lower end of a flat sliding closure member 34. 'The closure member is mounted between the side plates l0 adjacent the front of the body and slides in a guide-way 45 formed by cross members or pins 36. As shown two or more of these cross members may be arranged in iront of the sliding closure member 34 and one of the cross members may be arranged in the rear of the sliding closure member. The 50 pins 36 carry rollers 35 adjacent each end which form a channel substantially equal to the width of the sliding closure member 34 and the sliding closure member is arranged in this channel to prevent lateral displacement of it. A pin 31, y

projecting from the front of the closure member, is adapted to engage the lower guide 35 to limit the downward movement of the closure member. The sliding closure member has a series of ratchet teeth 38 on its rear edge which cooperate with the tooth 32 of pawl 29 and likewise has a second series of ratchet teeth 29 on its forward edge which cooperate with a spring 40xrnounted on a pin 4I extending between the side plates I Il. When in operative position the tooth 32 and the spring 40, in engagement with their respective ratchet teeth, prevent downward movement of the sliding closure member 34 but permit upward movement thereof.

In the operation of the device with the sliding closure member 34 in the raised dotted line posi-Y tion shown in Fig. l of the drawing and the hook open, the bail I3 of the torpedo shell is placed in the recess I2 of the hook. 'Ihe slide is then released to assume its operative position by pressing upon the lower end of the pawl 29 t'orelease the tooth 32v from the ratchet teeth 3-and by pulling the spring 49 outwardly to release it from the teeth 39. The closuremember then moves by gravity into slot 33 ofthe hook and while in that position, it prevents release of the torpedo I4 by the hook. While the torpedo shell is being lowered into the well, the weight of the hook device and the suspended shell rests upon shoulder I9 and the slide I8 and head 2I are moved upwardly from the body Yportion of the hook to their extreme position. When the Ashell comes to rest on the bottom of the well, it may be released from the hook by slackening the cable 2l. The weight of the torpedo and hook being no longer supported by the cable, this slackening permits the head 2I to move downwardly of its own weight a distance equal to andlimited by the clearance between the body I and the lower end of the head 2|. Thisis sufficient to allow tooth 32 of pawl 29 to engage the next lower ratchet tooth 38. By then taking up the slack in the line and moving the stem I8 upwardly until shoulder I9 again engages the spacer I6, pawl 22 lifts the closure slide 34 a distance equal to the distance between two of the ratchet teeth 38.'y Spring 40 immediately engages the next lower tooth 39, the spacing of the teeth 38 and 39 being the same, and holds the slide in elevated position while the cable is again slackened and pawl 29 permitted to engage the next lower tooth. V'Ihis operation is repeated until the sliding closure member- 34 has been moved upwardly in the'body I0 suiciently to permit the release of the bail I3 from the recess I2 in the hook member. Two orthree pulls upon the cable 21 vare generally sumcient, whereupon another slackening movement of the cable will permit the hook to release itself and the cable 2'I and hook may then be withdrawn fromfthe well.

It will be apparent that the device is of simple construction and that it is particularly adapted for use in oil wells because of its compactness and foolproofness. The arrangement of the operating parts within the body I0 and the positioning of these parts in such manner that corners and pockets are eliminated is also particularly advantageous because it prevents mud or dirt from packing in the path of moving parts and thus preventing the operation of such parts.

We claim:

1. Apparatus of the character vdescribed 'com- Vprising a'pair of side plates, a'hook secured to the bottom thereof, a spacing member secured to the upper ends of the side plates, the spacing member having an opening formed therein, a stem passing through the opening, a shoulder on the stem to limit its upward movement, a head secured to the stem exteriorly of the side plates, a locking member slidably mounted between the side plates and extending into and partially filling the slot when in lowered position whereby uid may freely ow from the space between the side plates above the hook through the slot, and means controlled by the relative movement of the side plates and the stem for raising the locking member to an inoperative position.

2. Apparatus of the character described comprising a pair of side plates, a hook secured to the ends of the side plates, the hook being provided with a slot, a spacing member secured to the upper ends of the side plates, the spacing member having an opening formed therein, the space between the side plates being open at the fro-nt and back, a stem passing through the opening in the spacing member, a shoulder on the stem to limit its upward movement, a head secured to the stem exteriorly of the side plates, a locking member slidably mounted between the side plates and extending into the slot when in lowered position, ratchet teeth formed on the locking member, and a pawl carried by the stem and adapted to engage said teeth.

3. Apparatus of the character described comprising a pair of side plates, a hook secured to the lower ends of the side plates, said hook being provided with a vertically disposed slot extending from the top to the bottom thereof, a spacing 1 member secured between the side plates at their upper ends, the spacing memberV having an opening therein, a stem passing through said opening, a shoulder on the stem to limit itsupward movement, a head secured to the stem above the spacing member, a locking member slidably mounted between the side plates and extending into and partially lling the slot in the hook when in lowered position whereby ilud may freely flowfrom the space between the side plates above the hook through said slot, and means controlled by the relative movement of the side plates andstem for raising the locking member to an inoperative position.

4. Apparatus of the character described comprising a pair of side plates, a hook secured to the lower ends of the side plates, the hook being provided with a slot, a spacing member secured to the upper ends of the side plates, said spacing member having ran opening formed therein, the space between the side plates being open at the front and back, a stem passing through the opening in the spacing member, a shoulder on the stem to limit its upwardv movement, a head comprising a lower section having an axialv opening for the reception of the stem andan upper section secured thereto, the head being free to swivel on the stem, a locking member slidably mounted between the side plates and extending into the slot when in lowered position, and vmeans controlled b-y the relative movement of the side plates and the stem for raising the locking member to an inoperative position.

5. Apparatus of the character described comprising a pair of side plates, a hook secured to the lower ends of the side plates, the hook being provided With a slot extending from the top to' the bottom thereof, a spacing member secured tothe upper ends of the side plates, the space between the plates intermediate Athe nook and the'spac- T5S ing member being open, the spacing member having an opening therein, a stem passing through the opening, means for limiting the upward movement of the stem, a head secured to the stem exteriorly of the side plates, a locking member slidably mounted between the plates and extending into and partially filling the slot when in a lowered position, and means controlled by the relative movement of the side plates and the stem for raising the locking member to an inoperative position.

WILLIAM Y. BLEAKLEY. WILLY A. SCHILLINGER. 

